Reference no: EM133352569
Assignment:
Read the following and complete the Self-Assessment Activities below:
Knowing Yourself
After completing this you will be able to:
• Better understand who you are.
• Identify your abilities, skills, work values, and preferences.
• Apply your self-knowledge to your job search.
• Design a promotional strategy for your job search
To be successful in any career search, it is imperative that you know yourself. Would a salesperson try to sell a product about which he or she knew little? Of course not. The same is true for a personal job search. First, take some time to think carefully about yourself. Unfortunately, many people are too busy, or perhaps too uncertain, to conduct a self-examination. This is a mistake. You must not skip this step of the process. If you do, your resumé will be weak, your research unfocused, and your interviewing skills substandard. That is not any way to conduct a successful job search. So, take some time to examine some important things about yourself and your life. You may be a young student with little experience, or a mature student making a career change, or a mature student without much of an employment history, but it is important to realize that all experience, whether life, employment or volunteer, is relevant information to market yourself.
This chapter provides you with several self-assessment tools. A word of caution: these tools will not tell you everything you should know to make good career decisions; however, the insights gained from thinking about the issues raised in these self-assessment exercises can help you establish a strong, knowledgeable approach to your career development. You are encouraged to complete the following self-assessment tools:
- Marketing Readiness Quiz: Explore your views about selling yourself in the job market.
- Self-Awareness Checklist: See how you perceive yourself and others.
- Ability Assessment: Learn to recognize your talents and abilities.
- Transferable Skills Checklist: Compile a useful list of current skills that can transfer to new careers.
- Work Environment and Preferences: Identify lifestyle desires and work environment preferences that are important when choosing a job or career.
Once you have worked through each of them, complete the Self-Assessment Summary Sheet .
Do you have a "marketing or sales personality"? Are you "market-oriented" and "sales-minded"? According to career personnel, those are the qualities you must have to get the job of your choice. What follows is not a test of your sales knowledge; it is a quiz to evaluate your sales personality and your attitude toward selling in general by asking you questions about selling yourself in the job market. Be honest with yourself as you take this quiz. Go with your instincts, not with what you think the answer should be. You can't fail this quiz; it is only meant as a guide to help you judge your sales readiness.
Source:
Lamarre, Helene, Martucci and McClughan, Karen. Career Focus Canada, A Personal Job Search Guide. Fourth Edition.
Toronto: Pearson Prentice Hall 2007.
1. Now that you have completed the Ability Assessment, in what categories are you strongest? be specific with details also within the category? How can you use this knowledge to market yourself in your chosen career? What ability area(s)categories are your weakest? How can you work at improving these? Be specific.
2. Using the results of the Transferable Skills Checklist, what are the top three transferable skills you possess? How might you showcase these on your resumé AND during an interview? Separate answers needed when answering for resume and for interview.
3. Why is it important to do a self-assessment before beginning a job search?